136 LANDER IS IN A COMA
Exoren considered Acyros' advice.
She does have a point but there was always a chance Lander would wake up soon, and he'll need the girl as hostage again.
Killing her now was premature.
"Keep her until he wakes, it's not hard to put someone to sleep," Exoren said, his decision brittle and decisive.
He strode out of the warehouse with Acyros, disappointment coiling in his shoulders.
Unseen by them, they were watched from afar as they left. Fortress Myrone's meta soldiers held their positions in another building their sights trained on the warehouse.
------
[Hours before Lander's heart attack]
Damen slipped through the back entrance of Strong & West before dawn, every step measured. Kail's mental nets lay over the district like a silent web making sure Damen's entrance would not be noticed.
Lander met him at the door, his eyes rimmed with exhaustion. He didn't bother with pleasantries. "What's the situation? Where's Dorin?"
Damen moved close enough that his voice was low and calm. "We found her. She's being held in an abandoned warehouse. By the Zetheris family."
Lander's fists curled on the table. "Those conglomerates never leave me alone." He slammed his palm down. "When are you going to get her? Every minute she's there increases the risk."
"We've got the warehouse under surveillance," Damen said. "Dorin's unharmed for now."
Lander's jaw worked. "So why haven't you moved in yet?"
Damen's eyes held his. "Because a Rank B meta is guarding her. A frontal rescue would be suicide at the moment. For Dorin's safety, we need to neutralize that threat first."
Lander's throat tightened. "They'll use her to make me talk. If I continue to refuse they'll kill her to force my hand. We don't have the luxury of time."
Damen gave the smallest, assured smile. "Which is why we won't give them a chance."
He reached into his satchel and produced a slim vial wrapped in dark cloth. Lander stared at it.
"What is that?" he asked.
"A hibernation serum." Damen's voice was steady. "It is a custom formulation from GenSyn. It triggers a heart-attack-like episode, then followed by deep hibernation. You appear comatose until we administer the antidote."
Lander let out a humorless laugh that didn't reach his eyes.
"You want me to fake being in a coma so they can't question me. So, you can buy time for a safe extraction?" he asked smiling before adding, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Damen nodded. "Exactly. While they think you're out, they'll leave Dorin alone in the meantime. There's no point in killing Dorin before they got information from you."
"You have a point", he agreed.
"Meanwhile we dismantle their defenses and get her back intact, once their diligence lapses. When you wake, she'll be the first face you see. I promise," Damen added.
Lander looked at the vial, then at Damen, then set his shoulders as if buckling for a fall. "Do it."
Damen handed him the syringe. "Breathe slow. I'll be outside when you go under. Don't panic — this works."
He watched Lander inject the serum and felt the familiar, clinical calm settle over the room.
Lander quickly dialed an ambulance before his breath hitched. Then his body dropped to the ground stilled, pale and convincingly lifeless.
Damen stepped back, closing his eyes for a moment. "Hold on, Lander," he whispered. "We're coming for her."
-----
Damen ensured that Lander was transferred to a hospital under the Aukouma family's control. He's already had an ambulance roaming nearby before Lander's emergency call.
He also stationed several meta soldiers and a squadron of security drones to guard the hospital around the clock, so that nobody could get to Lander.
Over the next two weeks, Damen launched a series of precision raids against the Zetheris family—striking their warehouses, sabotaging their manufacturing lines, and intercepting their shipments.
Each time, he left behind carefully planted evidence implicating the Veyran and Snow families, fanning the flames of distrust between the corporate giants.
At last, Garius Zetheris's composure broke. He began mobilizing his forces.
"What do you think he's planning with that many people? Is he going to war?" Zairgid asked, watching the live drone feed on Kail's monitor.
"This time he's serious," Kail replied grimly. "He's summoned every meta under his command—including their only Rank B operative."
"Who's he targeting?" Damen asked.
"What if it's the Aukouma family auction?" Zairgid asked, worry creeping into his voice. "We couldn't hold out against a Rank B."
"Yes, from their preparations, they could be targeting Aukouma Industry's HQ. They have many siege class equipment", Kail added.
Damen thought for a moment, then smirked. "Get me Fortress Myrone."
Minutes later, after the call ended, Zairgid frowned. "Why did you tell Fortress Myrone to sell meta-artifacts to Valtor Veyran? He's on the blacklist."
Damen leaned back, a faint grin on his lips. "Because once Garius learns that Valtor Veyran is buying directly from Fortress Myrone, what do you think he'll do?"
Realization dawned on Zairgid, and he stood abruptly.
"He'll be furious. After the raids these past weeks, he'll assume the Veyrans were behind everything and launch an all-out assault on them. But… there's still a chance they'll target us too," he added.
Damen's grin widened. "Not if you're the one bringing him the news."
Zairgid froze. "What?"
"The enemy of your enemy is your friend," Damen said coolly. "And in this world, there are no permanent friends—or enemies."
-----
"Who did you say is in our lobby?" Garius snapped.
"It's CEO Zairgid Aukouma, sir—he's came to see you," the secretary reported.
Garius laughed, his laugh sharp and incredulous. "Zairgid? I couldn't kill him before—did he come here to die?"
Exoren Atheris, perched in the chairman's seat behind them, only smiled. "Bring him up. Let's see what he wants."
Zairgid was escorted into Zetheris Industry's conference room. Garius sat flanked by his directors while Exoren watched quietly from behind, seated anonymously with the assistants.
"Why have you come, Zairgid Aukouma? Do you think we won't dare kill you in our own building?" Garius demanded.
Zairgid returned with a calm smile. "If you could kill me, I'd already be dead. Don't forget I have a Rank B meta watching my back."
Garius barked, "What do you want?"
"I came with news." Zairgid tapped a control and several holographic feeds bloomed in the air:
Soldiers loaded crates of meta materials onto trucks stamped with Veyran Industries' insignia. Valtor Veyran was there physically to accept the shipment.
Garius stared. "What is this?"
"Sadly, our exclusive arrangement with Fortress Myrone is over," Zairgid said. "Valtor Veyran convinced Lord Nicaesa to sell directly to him."
Garius's face hardened with recognition.
"Valtor… always had an angle. He told everyone he was going to the space rift to retrieve his wife's body—who knew he was negotiating with Lord Nicaesa the whole time," he said.
Exoren's voice cut through from the back. "So why tell us this now?"
Zairgid folded his hands. "It's just business. A new competitor has emerged. We're just sharing intelligence. There are no permanent enemies in business…" He let the phrase hang, then added, "…and no permanent friends."
He left the meeting without harm; no security halted him, no meta heroes interfered.
Garius watched him go, then turned to Exoren. "What do you make of this?"
"I'm thinking. There is an angle to this", he replied.
Garius frowned. "What about our assembled forces? We were planning to hit the Aukouma auction center. Everything is ready we even got the plasma cannons to raze their HQ."